Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much has been paid in sanctions applied to jobseekers' allowance claimants in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each of the last five years.

We have interpreted the question to mean how much has been unpaid due to sanctions.

The Department does not estimate the amount of benefit withheld as a result of benefit sanctions. The sanctions regime is designed to ensure claimants comply with their requirements in order to move off benefits and into work.

There are no benchmarks or targets for sanctions referrals.